Footy star Chad Wingard shares huge announcement about his love life after staring down the barrel of retirement
Just eight months ago, Chad Wingard’s career was on the rocks. Now, thanks to the support of his loving partner, he has a new contract, is nearing an AFL return and is engaged to be married.
The injured Hawthorn star announced on social media on Friday that his long-term partner Lily Lloyd ‘said yes’ when he proposed to her in romantic fashion at a Victorian winery amongst the vines.
Fellow Hawk Jarman Impey posted: ‘Congratulations!!! Sending our love’
Hawthorn teammates Shaun Burgoyne, Connor MacDonald, Nick Watson also wished the couple their best along with a host of AFL stars from other clubs.
AFL star Chad Wingard has proposed to his partner Lilly Lloyd in a romantic setting at a Victorian winery
The couple showed off the ring and Wingard’s tattoo in honour of Lilly Lloyd to their supporters
Wingard has credited Lilly Lloyd for giving him strength in his recovery from a serious leg injury
Wingard is currently sidelined after rupturing his Achilles last August, eyeing off a return for the Hawks in May.
It had initially been thought that the star Hawk could be sidelined up to 12 months, leading the club to temporarily de-list the half-forward to manage their roster for 2024.
It was one of the most pivotal moments of the Hawks’ star’s career and when he was given a new contract for 2024, he credited Lilly Lloyd for her support.
‘(She) got me through it,’ he said.
‘She played a pivotal role in the first two to six weeks.
‘I was in a cast and I had to elevate my leg for 20 hours a day for the best part of two weeks.
‘I couldn’t really cook, I was on two crutches and in the cast.
‘If I didn’t have someone to help me … just to say ‘it’s going to be okay, these are the steps we’re going to take, we’re going to get back,’ I don’t know what I would have done.’
Wingard has been sidelined since August with an Achilles injury that threatened to end his AFL career
The Hawks half-forward is back to training and eyeing off a return to footy in May in the VFL
Now club medical staff have estimated that he will return for rounds six or seven of the VFL season in the first half of May.
Wingard will then need to impress coach Sam Mitchell to force his way into the Hawks’ new-look forward line.
It was a terrifying injury for the Hawthorn star who admitted this season he thought retirement might have been his only option.
‘As soon as the injury happened, my first thought was ‘this could be it’,’ he said.
‘I didn’t want my last moment in the AFL to be getting injured five minutes after the start of a game.’
However Hawthorn’s head of football Robert McCartney quickly moved to assure Wingard he would return.
‘Rob, the general manager at the Hawks, said to me straight afterwards, ‘Mate, we’re going to look after you’,’ Wingard says.
‘It was pretty powerful, when you think that it could be nine months, 12 months before I could play again.’
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